Thursday
Game: Pittsburgh at Baltimore
Pick: Pittsburgh - Before yesterday, I would have gone with the Ravens at home. However, after the extended Ray Rice video emerged, the league suspended him indefinitely, and the team terminated his contract, I have a difficult time seeing Baltimore being fully prepared and focused for this big inner-division battle on Thursday night. While Pittsburgh's late (near) collapse against Cleveland worries me some, I'm going to have to give them the slight edge in this one. I'll take the Steelers by 4.
Result: Baltimore 26 Pittsburgh 6
Record: 0-1
Sunday
Game: Miami at Buffalo
Pick: Buffalo - With Miami playing New England and Buffalo traveling to Chicago last week, who would have guessed both teams would be 1-0 heading into this AFC East match-up? While I was highly impressed by Miami's second-half performance against the Patriots, I think Buffalo's solid defense will give Ryan Tannehill fits and the Bills offense will do just enough to prevail in the end. I'll go with Buffalo by a field goal.
Result: Buffalo 29 Miami 10
Record: 1-1
Game: Jacksonville at Washington
Pick: Washington - With how Washington played last year and how they performed against Houston this past weekend, I'm having a hard time picking them. However, they are at home against Jacksonville, so if they can't win this game, they might as well throw in the towels, because they'll then find it to be quite the daunting task to win any game this season. If they lose this game, owner Daniel Snyder may wind up changing the team's name - not due to offending Native Americans, but due to offending he and the rest of the team's fans. In any case, I guess I'll take Washington by a touchdown.
Result: Washington 41 Jacksonville 10
Record: 2-1
Game: Dallas at Tennessee
Pick: Dallas - Even after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday, Tennessee is a mystery team to me, whereas Dallas has been a .500 team for as long as I can remember. With their putrid first-half performance against San Francisco on Sunday, expect for Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense to bounce back and even the team's record (yet again). I'll go with Dallas by a touchdown.
Result: Dallas 26 Tennessee 10
Record: 3-1
Game: Arizona at NY Giants
Pick: Arizona - History would dictate that this isn't a wise pick. West coast teams have historically done very poorly when having to travel to the other coast. However, even if Arizona's offense struggles, their defense should still have a field day with the New York Giants offense - their offensive line and Eli Manning in particular. If Eli and head coach Tom Coughlin were frustrated by the Detroit Lions pressure on Monday night, they haven't seen anything yet. I'll take the Cardinals by 4.
Result: Arizona 25 NY Giants 14
Record: 4-1
Game: New England at Minnesota
Pick: New England - If I were just going by what I saw this past weekend, I'd take the Vikings in this one, without any hesitation. However, with history being my guide, I have a very difficult time seeing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady starting this season 0-2 while playing Miami and Minnesota. Expect a big bounce-back game for the Patriots, but for the Vikings to keep things close until the end. I'll go with New England by a touchdown. Update: With Adrian Peterson being listed as inactive, I expect the Patriots to win by at least ten.
Result: New England 30 Minnesota 7
Record: 5-1
Game: New Orleans at Cleveland
Pick: New Orleans - These past 2-3 years, it's seemed as if the Saints are a completely different team on the road than they are at home. While their offense still scores points, it's as if their defense forgets how to tackle (or cover, or do much of anything). Even so, I have a difficult time seeing Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns offense, void of Josh Gordon, keeping up with the New Orleans Saints offense. I'll take the Saints by a touchdown.
Result: Cleveland 26 New Orleans 24
Record: 5-2
Game: Atlanta at Cincinnati
Pick: Cincinnati - Kudos to the Atlanta Falcons for their big inner-division win against New Orleans on Sunday. However, reality to the Atlanta Falcons - the Cincinnati Bengals defense is twenty times better than the Saints defense, and at home, expect for Matt Ryan to get pressured and roughed up quite a bit. I'll take the Bengals by 7.
Result: Cincinnati 24 Atlanta 10
Record: 6-2
Game: Detroit at Carolina
Pick: Detroit - This was one of the two most difficult picks for me to make. With Cam Newton likely coming back for the Panthers this coming Sunday, though, I have to believe the Lions #1 priority will be to get pressure on the quarterback, hit him early and often, and see just how healthy he really is. Chances are the Panthers coaching staff will want Newton to be fairly careful when on the field, so he may be limited in his running, which could very well limit the Panthers offense. So long as Matthew Stafford doesn't get too careless with the football as he does sometimes, I like for the Lions to win this tough road game by 4.
Result: Carolina 24 Detroit 7
Record: 6-3
Game: St. Louis at Tampa Bay
Pick: Tampa Bay - The quarterback situation in St. Louis is so iffy at this point in time, I'm not sure I'd be able to pick them against anyone other than Jacksonville right now. With the game on the road against an improved Tampa Bay squad, I will reluctantly go with the Bucs by a touchdown.
Result: St. Louis 19 Tampa Bay 17
Record: 6-4
Game: Seattle at San Diego
Pick: Seattle - This could be a tricky game for the Seattle Seahawks. While they're almost guaranteed 7 or 8 wins at home this year, they haven't been nearly as dominant on the road in recent years, and with San Diego losing a heart-breaker to Arizona on Monday, they'll feel an extra sense of urgency to win this one at home and prevent themselves from starting the season at 0-2. However, even in saying all of that, I'm going to have trouble picking against the Seahawks. Not only does their defense look just as dominant (if not more dominant) as it was last year, but their offense appears to have improved as well. San Diego-urgency or not, I like Seattle to win by 7.
Result: San Diego 30 Seattle 21
Record: 6-5
Game: Houston at Oakland
Pick: Houston - For as well as Houston's defense handled Robert Griffin III on Sunday, I have to believe they'll be ready to handle rookie quarterback Derek Carr this coming weekend. Houston's offense may be nothing to marvel about just yet, but for as solid as their defense is, it's not going to matter, through the first two weeks of the season anyway. I'll take Houston by 4.
Result: Houston 30 Oakland 14
Record: 7-5
Game: NY Jets at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay - Let me think about this for a moment here... Aaron Rodgers playing at home, needing a win to prevent his Green Bay Packers from starting the season 0-2, against second-year quarterback Geno Smith, whom I like to refer to as Mr. Inconsistent? I'll take Rodgers and the Packers by 10.
Result: Green Bay 31 NY Jets 24
Record: 8-5
Game: Kansas City at Denver
Pick: Denver - For as awful as the Chiefs played at home against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, I have an extremely difficult time seeing them even compete with the Denver Broncos for four quarters, let alone win the game. I'll take Denver by two touchdowns.
Result: Denver 24 Kansas City 17
Record: 9-5
Game: Chicago at San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco - In addition to playing at home, I simply like how San Francisco's versatile offense matches up with Chicago's mediocre defense (to be kind) better than Chicago's skilled, but inconsistent offense (thanks, Jay Cutler) matches up with the hard-nosed 49ers defense. Expect Chicago to make a game of it, but for the Niners to prevail in the end by a field goal.
Result: Chicago 28 San Francisco 20
Record: 9-6
Monday
Game: Philadelphia at Indianapolis
Pick: Philadelphia - Along with Detroit/Carolina, this was the other game I had the most trouble picking. Even with the game at home and Andrew Luck seeming to excel late in games, I have to give the edge to the balanced Philadelphia Eagles offense, especially since Nick Foles won't have to deal with Robert Mathis. Until the Colts find some semblance of a running game or a defense, I have a hard time seeing them as an "elite"-caliber team.
Result: Philadelphia 30 Indianapolis 27
Record: 10-6
Week 2 Record:10-6 (.625)
Overall Record: 21-11 (.656)
Game: Pittsburgh at Baltimore
Pick: Pittsburgh - Before yesterday, I would have gone with the Ravens at home. However, after the extended Ray Rice video emerged, the league suspended him indefinitely, and the team terminated his contract, I have a difficult time seeing Baltimore being fully prepared and focused for this big inner-division battle on Thursday night. While Pittsburgh's late (near) collapse against Cleveland worries me some, I'm going to have to give them the slight edge in this one. I'll take the Steelers by 4.
Result: Baltimore 26 Pittsburgh 6
Record: 0-1
Sunday
Game: Miami at Buffalo
Pick: Buffalo - With Miami playing New England and Buffalo traveling to Chicago last week, who would have guessed both teams would be 1-0 heading into this AFC East match-up? While I was highly impressed by Miami's second-half performance against the Patriots, I think Buffalo's solid defense will give Ryan Tannehill fits and the Bills offense will do just enough to prevail in the end. I'll go with Buffalo by a field goal.
Result: Buffalo 29 Miami 10
Record: 1-1
Game: Jacksonville at Washington
Pick: Washington - With how Washington played last year and how they performed against Houston this past weekend, I'm having a hard time picking them. However, they are at home against Jacksonville, so if they can't win this game, they might as well throw in the towels, because they'll then find it to be quite the daunting task to win any game this season. If they lose this game, owner Daniel Snyder may wind up changing the team's name - not due to offending Native Americans, but due to offending he and the rest of the team's fans. In any case, I guess I'll take Washington by a touchdown.
Result: Washington 41 Jacksonville 10
Record: 2-1
Game: Dallas at Tennessee
Pick: Dallas - Even after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday, Tennessee is a mystery team to me, whereas Dallas has been a .500 team for as long as I can remember. With their putrid first-half performance against San Francisco on Sunday, expect for Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense to bounce back and even the team's record (yet again). I'll go with Dallas by a touchdown.
Result: Dallas 26 Tennessee 10
Record: 3-1
Game: Arizona at NY Giants
Pick: Arizona - History would dictate that this isn't a wise pick. West coast teams have historically done very poorly when having to travel to the other coast. However, even if Arizona's offense struggles, their defense should still have a field day with the New York Giants offense - their offensive line and Eli Manning in particular. If Eli and head coach Tom Coughlin were frustrated by the Detroit Lions pressure on Monday night, they haven't seen anything yet. I'll take the Cardinals by 4.
Result: Arizona 25 NY Giants 14
Record: 4-1
Game: New England at Minnesota
Pick: New England - If I were just going by what I saw this past weekend, I'd take the Vikings in this one, without any hesitation. However, with history being my guide, I have a very difficult time seeing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady starting this season 0-2 while playing Miami and Minnesota. Expect a big bounce-back game for the Patriots, but for the Vikings to keep things close until the end. I'll go with New England by a touchdown. Update: With Adrian Peterson being listed as inactive, I expect the Patriots to win by at least ten.
Result: New England 30 Minnesota 7
Record: 5-1
Game: New Orleans at Cleveland
Pick: New Orleans - These past 2-3 years, it's seemed as if the Saints are a completely different team on the road than they are at home. While their offense still scores points, it's as if their defense forgets how to tackle (or cover, or do much of anything). Even so, I have a difficult time seeing Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns offense, void of Josh Gordon, keeping up with the New Orleans Saints offense. I'll take the Saints by a touchdown.
Result: Cleveland 26 New Orleans 24
Record: 5-2
Game: Atlanta at Cincinnati
Pick: Cincinnati - Kudos to the Atlanta Falcons for their big inner-division win against New Orleans on Sunday. However, reality to the Atlanta Falcons - the Cincinnati Bengals defense is twenty times better than the Saints defense, and at home, expect for Matt Ryan to get pressured and roughed up quite a bit. I'll take the Bengals by 7.
Result: Cincinnati 24 Atlanta 10
Record: 6-2
Game: Detroit at Carolina
Pick: Detroit - This was one of the two most difficult picks for me to make. With Cam Newton likely coming back for the Panthers this coming Sunday, though, I have to believe the Lions #1 priority will be to get pressure on the quarterback, hit him early and often, and see just how healthy he really is. Chances are the Panthers coaching staff will want Newton to be fairly careful when on the field, so he may be limited in his running, which could very well limit the Panthers offense. So long as Matthew Stafford doesn't get too careless with the football as he does sometimes, I like for the Lions to win this tough road game by 4.
Result: Carolina 24 Detroit 7
Record: 6-3
Game: St. Louis at Tampa Bay
Pick: Tampa Bay - The quarterback situation in St. Louis is so iffy at this point in time, I'm not sure I'd be able to pick them against anyone other than Jacksonville right now. With the game on the road against an improved Tampa Bay squad, I will reluctantly go with the Bucs by a touchdown.
Result: St. Louis 19 Tampa Bay 17
Record: 6-4
Game: Seattle at San Diego
Pick: Seattle - This could be a tricky game for the Seattle Seahawks. While they're almost guaranteed 7 or 8 wins at home this year, they haven't been nearly as dominant on the road in recent years, and with San Diego losing a heart-breaker to Arizona on Monday, they'll feel an extra sense of urgency to win this one at home and prevent themselves from starting the season at 0-2. However, even in saying all of that, I'm going to have trouble picking against the Seahawks. Not only does their defense look just as dominant (if not more dominant) as it was last year, but their offense appears to have improved as well. San Diego-urgency or not, I like Seattle to win by 7.
Result: San Diego 30 Seattle 21
Record: 6-5
Game: Houston at Oakland
Pick: Houston - For as well as Houston's defense handled Robert Griffin III on Sunday, I have to believe they'll be ready to handle rookie quarterback Derek Carr this coming weekend. Houston's offense may be nothing to marvel about just yet, but for as solid as their defense is, it's not going to matter, through the first two weeks of the season anyway. I'll take Houston by 4.
Result: Houston 30 Oakland 14
Record: 7-5
Game: NY Jets at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay - Let me think about this for a moment here... Aaron Rodgers playing at home, needing a win to prevent his Green Bay Packers from starting the season 0-2, against second-year quarterback Geno Smith, whom I like to refer to as Mr. Inconsistent? I'll take Rodgers and the Packers by 10.
Result: Green Bay 31 NY Jets 24
Record: 8-5
Game: Kansas City at Denver
Pick: Denver - For as awful as the Chiefs played at home against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, I have an extremely difficult time seeing them even compete with the Denver Broncos for four quarters, let alone win the game. I'll take Denver by two touchdowns.
Result: Denver 24 Kansas City 17
Record: 9-5
Game: Chicago at San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco - In addition to playing at home, I simply like how San Francisco's versatile offense matches up with Chicago's mediocre defense (to be kind) better than Chicago's skilled, but inconsistent offense (thanks, Jay Cutler) matches up with the hard-nosed 49ers defense. Expect Chicago to make a game of it, but for the Niners to prevail in the end by a field goal.
Result: Chicago 28 San Francisco 20
Record: 9-6
Monday
Game: Philadelphia at Indianapolis
Pick: Philadelphia - Along with Detroit/Carolina, this was the other game I had the most trouble picking. Even with the game at home and Andrew Luck seeming to excel late in games, I have to give the edge to the balanced Philadelphia Eagles offense, especially since Nick Foles won't have to deal with Robert Mathis. Until the Colts find some semblance of a running game or a defense, I have a hard time seeing them as an "elite"-caliber team.
Result: Philadelphia 30 Indianapolis 27
Record: 10-6
Week 2 Record:10-6 (.625)
Overall Record: 21-11 (.656)
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